The College Fix

A sociology professor at the University of Delaware is set to resign at the end of this academic year following accusations that he offered a female student a “top grade” in return for sexual favors.

Correspondingly, hundreds of students protested the school’s harassment policy on Friday, demanding more transparency and accountability in such matters. Delaware Online reports:

The gathering, which was attended by more than 300 students and teachers, started at Memorial Hall. Most of the event’s attendants sat on the building steps facing the Green, while others stood or sat near the building.

“End the silence. End the shame,” UD students and faculty chanted as the event started. The chants, however, silenced as one of the organizers, Sage Carson, spoke up and began asking for people to give their stories on sexual harassment and assaults.

For more than 90 minutes, student after student stood and spoke out about incidents that they had endured. They also urged for changes in the school’s policy.

… The matter began when Eric Tranby, a professor in the sociology department, was accused by a student in May of offering her a top grade in exchange for sexual favors.

UD Vice Provost of Faculty Affairs Matthew J. Kinservick said Friday that the professor was on administrative leave and Tranby’s resignation would formally come at the end of the academic year.

“He will not be back to campus,” Kinservick said. “I can’t talk about the reasons for that.”

The unnamed student said “there was no transparency in the school’s policy,” and that she had no idea what was going on with Professor Tranby until she read about in the UD student newspaper.

Delaware already has a harassment policy, which covers that for which Tranby is accused. Nevertheless, UD officials said “they were proud their students held the rally and wanted their voices to be heard.”

Read the full article here.

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